Shotgun sight



Feb. 7, 1961 R. c. HILL SHOTGUN SIGHT Filed Dec. 19, 1958 INVOR.

ATTOPNEY United States Patent SHOTGUN SIGHT Russell C. Hill, Room 640, Bedell Bldg, San Antonio, Tex.

Filed Dec. 19, 1958, Ser. No. 781,584

2 Claims. (Cl. 33-51) This invention relates to improvements in gun sights of a type to be employed upon the barrel of a shotgun and other forms of projectile discharging firearms.

An object of the invention is to provide a sight which enables the shooter to cover the target with the elfective area of the shot pattern.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sighting apparatus for shotguns and the like, which aids the shooter in aiming accurately at a stationary or a moving target.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved device of the type set forth which enables the shooter to get the right lead on moving objects to get them in the effective shot pattern.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type set forth which enables the shooter to quickly and accurately sight along the path the shot will travel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type set forth which aids the shooter in centering the shot pattern on the target.

Another object is to provide a new and improved device of the type set forth which shows the shooter a point of aim and enables him to see it instantly and without effort.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type set forth which helps to avoid cross-sighting and over-and-under shooting by making it easy for the shooter to aim along the center line of the path of the shot.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type set forth which enables the shooter to tell instantly if the object at which he is shooting is within range of his gun.

Another object is to provide a device which enables the shooter to accurately judge the range of the object at which he is shooting and know if it is at the range for which the sight is set or closer to him or farther away from him.

Another object is to provide a device of the type set forth which makes the point of aim the center of the shot pattern.

Another object is to provide a device of the type set forth wherein the points inside the sighting ring outline a smaller circle at the same range or a circle of larger size at an increased range. This feature is especially important for double barrel guns with different choke and also in single barrel guns equipped with an automatic choke which increases the choke for the second shot.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a shotgun embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top or plan view thereof:

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view further illustrating the invention;

' Fig. 4 is an end view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a view generally similar to Fig. 2, but further showing the invention;

Fig. 6 is a side view generally similar to Fig. 3, but further showing the invention;

Fig. 7 is an end view generally similar to Fig. 4, but further illustrating the invention; and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the use of the apparatus of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout, the device shown embodying the invention comprises a base tube 10 fitting snugly around the gun barrel 11 and serving as a base for the other components with a raised center part 12 to fit over a rib or scale marks 13 on the upper surface of the gun barrel l1.

Adjacent the forward end of the device is provided the shot pattern measuring ring 13a to outline the effective area of the shot pattern and adjacent the forward end of the device is provided a Y shaped sighting post 14 with a semi-circular top 15 having turned in points 16 mounted in alignment with and vertically inside the circle of the measuring ring 13a.

At the opposite end of the base tube from the measuring ring 13a is provided the straight line sighting post 17 and the measuring ring 13a is provided with a series of inside members 18 to outline a smaller circle inside the measuring ring.

Marks are provided on the sight and the gun barrel to align the sight with the center line of the shot flight path.

On the upper surface of the gun barrel 11 is provided the range scale 13 for setting the sight for any range of the gun corresponding to the degrees of choke available in variable choke equipped guns.

Means are provided for attaching the base tube 10 to the gun barrel such as the screw 19 or the springs or clamps 20, adapted to engage the ribs 21 whereby the sight is attached to the gun barrel. Hinges 22 and 23 are provided on the sighting post 15 and measuring ring 13a so that they can be folded against the gun barrel 11 as shown in broken lines in Figs. 3 and 6.

The base tube 10 is the base which is secured to the gun barrel, such as by fitting around it as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and to this base are attached the other components to form the complete sight and on which the different parts are correctly aligned, and by which the entire sight can be moved as a unit along the gun barrel 11 in conformity with range scale 13.

The shape and diameter of base tube 10 may be varied to fit snugly around the barrel of the gun to which it is to be attached, whether single or double barrel or overand-under. The base tube 10 can vary in length, but

is preferably about four inches in length to provide enough distance for easy alignment of the sight by the shooter. The length of the base tube for the sight is adjustable for several ranges and on a variable choke gun will depend on whether the scale is on the base tube with an alignment mark on the gun barrel, which requires a tube of several inches, or whether the scale is on the gun barrel, which permits the base tube to be short. For gun barrels with raised sighting rib the base tube is fitted snugly over the top and sides of the rib and the rib on the gun barrel provides a simple means for keeping the sight in correct alignment on the barrel and the range scale 13 can be formed on the rib 13b.

The shot pattern measuring ring 13a is provided to outline a circle covering the effective area of the shot pattern at the maximum effective range of the gun. A thirty inch circle is generally accepted as the standard for the maximum diameter of the effective shot pattern containing seventy percent of the shot at the maximum effective range of a shotgun, and for that reason the sight is preferably calibrated to outline to the shooters eye a thirty inch circle at the range for which the sight is set. The effective range of a shotgun is determined by the degree of choke in the muzzle of the barrel and is considered to be the maximum distance at which seventy percent of the shot will be evenly spread over a thirty inch circle. The greatest effective range of a cylinder bore barrel is fairly short or about twenty yards, while for a full choke bore the range may be over forty yards.

A measuring ring 13a of one inch in diameter located on the gun barrel about thirty inches from the eye of the shooter outlines a circle of approximately thirty inches at a range of twenty-five yards and by adjusting the distance of the measuring ring 13a from the shooters eye it can be made to cover a thirty inch circle at any range from fifteen to sixty yards, and by changing the diameter of the measuring ring 13a it can be made to cover a circle of any desired diameter at any desired range.

The measuring ring 13a also enables the shooter, when sighting at a moving target, to judge how much he is leading the target by comparing the distance of the moving target from the area of the shot pattern outlined by the measuring ring, thus enabling the shooter to lead the moving target correctly.

The measuring ring 13a enables the shooter to cover the target with the effective area of the shot pattern be cause it outlines that area at the maximum effective range of the gun, and his line of sight is directly along the center line of the path of the shot. The measuring ring enables the shooter to get his target in the center of the shot pattern because his point of aim is the center of the shot pattern.

The range scale 13 is composed of a series of points indicated on the gun barrel to show where the sight is to be placed to outline a circle covering the elfective shot pattern at the maximum effective range for each choke setting of a variable choke equipped gun. The range scale 13 may be marked directly on the gun barrel 11 or on a strip of metal, plastic or other material attached to the gun barrel. On guns with sighting ribs, the scale can be on the rib.

The Y-shaped sighting post is centered in the sighting ring and its height is half the diameter of the sighting ring. A point equi-distant from and directly between the points of the semi-circular top of the Y-shaped post coincides with the center of the measuring ring 130:. The straight sighting post 17 is so placed on the base tube that a line from its top through the center of a line between the top ends of the Y-shaped sighting post is parallel to a line through the center of a gun barrel and is, therefore. parallel to the center line of the flight of the shot. The upper ends 16 of the semi-circular top of the Y-shaped sighting post 15 are of equal length and are turned in at right angles to the stem of the post and on a line with and pointing toward the center of the measuring ring 13a with both points 16 turned inward to form a horizontal line and plainly indicate the exact center of the top of the Y-shaped sighting post, the center can be instantly located by the shooter as he lines up the two sighting posts with his target.

By the use of two sighting posts, the shooter is able to sight directly along the path of the shot flight which helps the shooter to avoid shooting over or under his target or shooting to the right or the left of it, enables him to tell how he missed a moving target, whether he shot too high or too low or to the left or right because when he pulls the trigger he sees the target in relation to the center line of the shot flight and the area covered.

The diameter of the upper circular part of the Y-shaped sighting post 15 is preferably one-third the diameter of the measuring ring and, therefore, the line between the tops of the circular section covers a line at the target equal in length to one-third the diameter of the circle covered by the measuring ring. If the measuring ring .covers a thirty inch circle, at the target range, the upper ends of the Y-shaped sighting post 15 cover a line ten inches long and the shooter can judge if the object at which he is shooting is within range by comparing its length viewed through the measuring ring with the ten inch line covered at that range by the tops of the Y-shaped sighting post.

The length of the line at the target outlined by the space between the turned in points 16 of the semi-circular section 15 of the Y-shaped post can also be useful to estimate the range of smaller birds like quail, dove, Woodcock, snipe, and also trap-shooting targets. If the length of each turned in point 16 is one-fourth the diameter of the semi-circular top of the Y-shaped post 15, then the length of the line at the target showing between the points will be one-half the length of the line covered between the tops of the Y-shaped post and one-sixth the diameter of the circle outlined by the measuring ring. If the measuring ring outlines a thirty inch circle the space between the ends of the Y-shaped post will cover a length of five inches at the target.

The series of members inside the sighting ring and extending part way toward its center outline a smaller circle within the measuring ring, and this smaller circle outlines at the same range a proportionately smaller circle than the measuring ring, or it can be of such a diameter as to outline a thirty inch circle at a longer range. For a double barrel or an over-and-under gun with a different degree of choke in each barrel the diameter of the smaller ring can be such that a measuring ring will outline a thirty inch circle at the effective range of the more open barrel and the smaller ring will outline a thirty inch circle at the longer range of the barrel with more choke. The two rings of different diameter fill function the same on a single barrel or repeating shotgun equipped with an automatic choke device to automatically increase the choke and the efiective range for the second shot.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided new and improved means for obtaining all of the objects and advantages of the invention.

I claim:

1. A shotgun sight comprising a base adapted to be mounted to lie lengthwise on a shotgun barrel near the muzzle thereof, a straight line sighting post mounted on said base at its end remote from the muzzle, and a shot pattern and range device mounted on the end of said base nearest to the gun muzzle, said shot pattern and range device comprising a shot pattern measuring ring of a diameter such that at a maximum range the effective area of the shot pattern is visible within said ring, and a Y-shaped sighting post having its arms forming a semi-circle mounted within said shot pattern measuring ring the diameter of the semi-circle of the arms of said Y-shaped sighting post being a fixed proportion of the diameter of the shot pattern measuring ring to provide a measure for comparison with the apparent size of the target to indicate whether the target is within the effective range of the shotgun, adjustable means to mount said base on said gun barrel whereby said base with its sighting post and measuring ring may be selectively mounted on the gun barrel at the position on the gun barrel to accurately measure the effective area of the shot pattern according to the characteristics of the gun on which it is mounted.

2. The shotgun sight of claim 1 in which a plurality of inwardly extending members are provided on said shot pattern measuring ring the inner ends of said members defining the effective shot pattern area at a longer range than said shot pattern measuring ring for use with a choke on the gun barrel, and said Y-shaped sighting post having its arms provided with inwardly extending projections the inner ends of said inwardly extending projections being spaced a distance of the same fixed proportion to the diameter of the circle of the inner ends of said inwardly extending members as the diameter of said semicircle bears to said measuring ring whereby a measure is provided for use at said longer range similar to the measure provided at the shorter range.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Freund Apr. 17, 1877 6 Bassell et al Nov. 12, 1907 McCleary Sept. 19, 1911 Blair Sept. 18, 1917 Kauch et al May 20, 1930 Kohler May 15, 1956 Gangl Feb. 11, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Sept. 7, 1895 

